- Congress leader Jairam Ramesh announced 23 parties will join the INDIA bloc meeting
- He said some parties declined attendance but oppose the Modi government's policies and actions
- DMK and AAP will not attend due to political differences and recent alliance changes
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has announced on social media that 23 political parties have confirmed their participation in the Opposition bloc INDIA's scheduled meeting tomorrow, to be held in Delhi's Constitution Club.
He said though some parties have also told them they would not be able to come due to their own reasons, they strongly oppose policies of the Modi government's "policies and actions".
Ramesh alleged these actions and policies are "stripping millions of Indians of their right to vote, constantly attacking the Constitution, and targeting Opposition leaders using investigative agencies."
In the long list of the Opposition bloc's grievances, he added some more, such as "damaging livelihoods, disrupting household budgets through persistent inflation, betraying the hopes and aspirations of millions of youths, undermining investment climate, and compromising national interests through their foreign policy."
"Like India itself, the INDIA bloc stands united in its diversity," the Congress leader said.
Among those that are not attending the meeting include Tamil Nadu's DMK led by MK Stalin and Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) helmed by Arvind Kejriwal, both former chief ministers.
The DMK has cut ties with the Congress after the latter aligned with actor-turned-politician Vijay's TVK in Tamil Nadu. It has gotten so bitter that the DMK has demanded separate seating arrangements from the Congress in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, a request that has been granted.
The INDIA bloc's meeting venue is neutral ground this time, while the last two meetings happened at the houses of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party MP Rahul Gandhi.
Tomorrow's meeting is being held at the behest of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. Both the former West Bengal chief minister and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee will participate. She needs the support of the INDIA bloc and specifically the Congress to fight the BJP in Bengal.
On her agenda, sources indicated she does not want to contest any assembly election in the current climate, even though by-elections are due for two seats in Bengal - Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's Nandigram seat, and Humayun Jahangir's Rejinagar seat. Nevertheless, should Mamata Banerjee decide to contest, any Trinamool MLA could vacate their seat for her.
There's a buzz that she is not interested in the assembly because she wants to contest the Lok Sabha polls. A by-election is due for the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant following the death of Haji Nurul Islam. This is the same constituency from where Nusrat Jahan won in 2019.
Mamata Banerjee needs the Congress's help to win the Basirhat seat. She cannot publicly accept support from the Left parties, but can certainly seek help from the Congress and the INDIA bloc could prove useful in this scheme of things.
Basirhat is a Muslim-majority constituency where the minority population exceeds 55 per cent, which is another reason why Mamata Banerjee needs the Congress's support there. There is also speculation that some Trinamool MLAs are in touch with the Congress party, though Rahul Gandhi has decided against engaging with them, a stance Sonia Gandhi reportedly supports.
In response to the announcement by Jairam Ramesh, Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien replied, "A meeting with a shared purpose and clear resolve - a united INDIA. Many parties are looking forward to this meeting, driven by a spirit of mutual brotherhood and harmony."
